Apparatus for making bows



May 2, 1961 H. E. ANDERSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOWS Filed Feb. 23, 1960 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I o s I 20] 40 I 26 58 2o 34 i I oo 0 54 l 1 I as 2 7o 96 48 22 1o 4 68 56 I 5 1 a I I 0 u 74 e4 e2 50 'l a as I2 1 I I w "5 *"saovzflao 76 lo 1 a, 7 Fig.1.

INVENTOR.

H.E. ANDERSON ATTORNEY May 2, 1961 H. E. ANDERSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOWS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb 23, 1960 ATTORNEY H. E. ANDERSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOWS May 2, 1961 Filed Feb. 23, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. HEANDERSON A T TORNE Y Un States Patent 2,982,452 APPARATUS FOR MAKING Bows Herbert E. Anderson, Muskogee, kla., assignor to H. E.

Anderson Company, Muskogee, 0kla., a corporation of Oklahoma Filed Feb. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 10,287 6 Claims. Cl. 223-46 This invention relates to apparatus for making bows. In particular, it relates to apparatus and methods for tieing attractive bows from a continuous spool of ribbon as thereafter used in gift wrapping packages.

In the art of gift wrapping packages, ribbon type bows are used for added attractiveness to the package wrapping. Heretofore, the making of a ribbon bow has been done by hand, consuming a great amount of time and inac curacy. Mechanical apparatus has been devised for manufacturing bows which, however, involves the use of non-positive mechanical clutching mechanisms, drive cords, and belts, which are subject to mechanical failure and constant adjustment to operate quickly and efficiently.

Accordingly, it becomes an object of this invention to overcome the problems associated with the prior devices and provide apparatus fo rmaking bows which is economical, efficient and easily operated and without constant mechanical failure and adjustment.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for making bows which is easily and efiiciently adjusted to make bows of varying sizes and designs. A still further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for making attractive bows as used in gift wrapping which is mechanically interconnected in its moving parts to prevent undue wear, stretch, and adjustment.

A still further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for holding the bow as it is formed,,to aid in forming the style of bow, and further retain the bow for ready attachment as needed.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent upon further reading of the specifications and claims, when taken in conjunctionwith the following illustrations, of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly in cross-section of the apparatus of this invention.

Figure 2 is a top elevational view of the gear box partially. cut away.

' Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the oscillator arm shuttle head. Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of the bow retaining and bow style forming mechanism used with this invention. I Figure Sis a sectional view taken-along the line 5-5 of Figure4. Figure 6 is a top elevational view of the operating assembly of this invention.

Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 are diagrammatic views showing the various stages and movement of the apparatus for making bows. p Description Referring in particular to the drawings, numeral 10 indicates a base portion having legs 11 which may be a type of resilient material for stabilizing the apparatus on a table or framework. In some instances, the base 10 is permanently afiixed to a table top or frame. Ribbon spindle rod 12 is afiixed to base 10 in such a manner. to

permit free rotative movement of ribbon spool'14 about spindle 16. The spindle portion permits locking the spool in place and includes a friction drag, not shown,

during operation to the bow making apparatus.

threaded from the spool 14 to oscillator arm 20. The arm is articulately movable about base extension 22 on shaft pin 24. The free end includes oscillator arm shuttle head 26 to which ribbon 18 is threaded by means of ribbon clamp 28, which is movably held to shuttle head 26 by screw 30. A relatively low tension spring 32 acts between the shuttle head 26 and ribbon clamp 28 to permit unidirectional movement of ribbon 18 therethrough. The ribbon thereafter passes through ribbon guide 34 which is clamped to shuttle head 26 by a threaded means 36.

As seen in the cross-sectional view of Figure 3, the ribbon clamp and guide above described forms one feature of this invention. Ribbon guide opening 37 forces the ribbon to assume an angle with respect to the shuttle head 26, the operational movement and importance of which will be hereinafter described.

Crank shaft base extension 38 is placed on base 10 contiguous with respect to ribbon oscillator arm 20 and the ribbon design forming and retaining apparatus here inaf'ter described. The elevational view of Figure 1 shows oscillator connecting arm ill-connecting between crank shaft 130 and crank arm 132 (see Figure 6). The connecting arm is adjustably attached to arm 20, by using adjustment clamp 42 which is locked into place with threaded wing nut 44. Bow size indicator markings are appropriately placed on oscillator arm 20, whereby movement of arm 40 will provide bows of various overall diameters. A hand crank arm 48 and handle 50 are provided to give rotative movement to the crank shaft 130. Attached to the crank shaft is cam 52 which engages with a follower wheel 54 to move follower arm 56 about pin 53, according to the contours of cam 52. .It is" preferred that a cardioid or heart-shaped cam, which provides intermittent movement to push rod. 62, be used. A spring 6i) attached to the base 10 maintains follower 54 in constant engagement with cam 52 for such movement. gear box 64, to pawl arm 68, as best seen in Figure 2.

The movement of rod 62 provides reciprocating motion I to the pawl 70 from an initial position as shown. in the dotted lines. Pawl 70 is attached to arm 68 at pin 72 and under spring bias. Arm 68 and attached pawl 70 are arcuately movable about shaft and bearing attached to base It The pawl is adapted to move, in one direction only, ratchet gear 74' which, in this instance,

as shown by the arrow, is counter-clockwise. Ratchet gear 74 and drive gear '78 are interconnected as a unit by hub 76. The ratchet and drive gear assembly is rotatable about shaft 80. Likewise movable about shaft 80. is

ratchet gear cover arm 82 and tooth cover 84 attached thereto by threaded screw 86. -The arm 82 and cover 84 is adjustable to various positions by loosening lock 4 using a spring loaded ratchetstop pawl 92, movable about placement pin 94.

Removable cover plate 66 is held to housing threaded attachment screws 67.

.Referring again to Figure 3, the oscillato arm head is adapted to be attached to the oscillator arm by a threaded means 106. At the opposite end is a recessed Patented May 2 1.961

Push rod 62 interconnects follower arm 56, into opening 108 for receiving bow retaining pin 120 during operational movement.

Referring in particular now to Figure 4, the bow retaining apparatus includes housing 106 adapted for slidmovernent about shank 112 but normally held in the position shown, by spring 102 which acts between it and retainer ring 104. The ring includes driven gear 88 affixed to shank 112 by threaded locking bolt 14. As seen in Figure 4 and the sectional view of Figure 5, the upper end of shank 112 includes recessed openings 116 within which are detent balls 118. As in the position shown, the ball detcnt devices are adapted to hold bow retaining pin 120 in fixed position during the making of the how. The pin includes a pointed tip portion 121 and a flanged portion 122 with a peripheral recess 123 adapted to engage with ball detent 118 for locking engagement. In the interior of shank 112 is plunger 124 adapted for engagement with the pin 120 at groove 125. The plunger is maintained in engagement with the bow retaining pin by the action of spring 126. The outer bow retaining housing 100 includes the larger diameter interior portion 128 at its extreme upper end. By movement of housing 100 downward against the spring 102, ball detents 118 are releasable from engagement with pin 12f upon their entering the larger diameter portion 128. Spring loaded plunger 124 forces the pin out of engagement accordingly.

In the top elevational view of Figure 6, handle 50 and crank arm 48 is shown attached to crank shaft 130 using threaded locking device 131. Crank arm 132 is likewise rigidly attached to crank shaft 130 by a threaded locking device 134. The arm is movably connected to connecting arm 40 by a bushing means 136. Operating cam 52 includes a shank portion 138 which is rigidly attached to crank 130 by a threaded locking device 140.

Operation In the operation of the device according to this invention, ribbon 18 is guided from spool 14 through the ribbon clamp 28 and directional guide 34 with sufficient extension to permit operating engagement between shuttle head 26 and housing 100 during operation thereof. The size of how, i.e., the overall diameter, is set and adjusted by movement of clamp 42 and locking device 44. Likewise, the type and style of bow desired is adjusted and set by movement of ratchet gear cover arm in slotted opening 98. Lock nut fixes this setting by locking with respect to gear housing cover 66. A bow retaining pin is placed in housing 100 and locked into place.

Although the apparatus is capable of making bows when crank arm 48 and handle 50 are rotated in clockwise or counter-clockwise movement, the description herein will be based on clockwise rotation thereof. As seen in Figure 7, shuttle head 26 is moving downward toward bow retaining housing 100 and the pointed tip 121 of the retaining pin. As the shuttle head makes contact with the housing it is moved downward against spring 102 and ribbon 18 is forced over retaining pin 120 where it is caught and held by the design of the pointed tip. The movement of housing 100 by the action of shuttle head 26 is sufficient only to pierce the ribbon over the pointed tip and insuflicient to cause release of the ball detents 118. Upon the return stroke, shuttle head 26 is again lifted and by reason of the ribbon being held by retaining pin 120 a length of ribbon is permitted to pass through ribbon clamp 28 and guide 34 according to the length of stroke set by clamp 42 on oscillator arm 20.

In view of Figure 9, continued rotation of cam 52 forces follower 54 along the surface from A to B, moving arm 56 in the direction shown by the arrow. Push rod 62 connected therewith to pawl arm 68 and pawl 70 moves in the same direction to engage with ratchet gear 74 which through the driving and driven gear connection rotates housing 100 in the direction shown by the arrow. As can be appreciated from the view of Figure 2, ratchet gear 74 and gears 78 and 88 are rotated only that amount which is not protected by cover 84. That is, pawl 70 slides along cover 84 until it drops into engagement with ratchet gear 74. This movement,-

which controls the type and style of how, occurs immediately prior to or after the engagement of shuttle head 26 and bow retaining housing and places a slight twist on the ribbon. This twist gives the loop its characteristic design. For example, in the views of Figure 9, where the first loop is formed, and in Figure 10 where the second loop is formed, housing 100 has been rotated less than degrees. By properly controlling the placement of cover 84, the amount of rotation of housing 100 is controlled. In one particular application the ratio of driving gear 78 to driven gear 88 is 4 to 1. Upon movement of ratchet gear 74 through a full 60 arc rotates retaining assembly 100 a full 240. The operation will continue until such time as a full bow has been formed, or until the desired style and effect have been reached. The ribbon is cut and the bow released by forcing housing 100 downward to free the retaining pin heretofore described.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent, however, that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, instead of a hand operated crank device, an electric motor with suitable speed reducers as needed may be used to drive the crank shaft. Accordingly, this invention should be considered not to be limited to the embodiment herein described, but should be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for making bows comprising, a ribbon oscillator arm articuately attached at one end to a base, a unidirectional ribbon guide on said oscillator at the other end, a ribbon spindle attached to said base contiguous with said guide, a rotatable crank shaft rotatably attached to said base, a connecting arm between said shaft and said oscillator, a cam attached to said shaft, a follower arm articulately attached to said base for movement according to the configurations of said cam; means for holding said follower into engagement with said cam, a ratchet gear and drive gear rotatably attached to a common shaft on said base, a bow retain ing member aligned for engagement with said oscillator arm during one part of the stroke, a driven gear attached to said retaining member meshed with said drive gear, a pawl rotatably engageable with said ratchet gear for movement of said ratchet gear in one direction, a push rod interconnecting said pawl and said follower, a cover for said ratchet gear teeth adjustable with respect to said pawl to govern the amount of movement of said ratchet gear, and means for rotating said crank shaft.

2. Apparatus for making bows comprising a ribbon oscillator arm articuately attached at one end to a base, a rotatable bow retaining member on said base aligned for engagement with the other end of said oscillator arm during one phase of oscillation, a spindle for ribbon attached to said base contiguous with said oscillator arm, a unidirectional ribbon guide on said arm for directing said ribbon to a position between said arm and said retaining member, a crank shaft rotatably attached to said base, a connecting arm between said shaft and said oscillator arm, a cam attached to said shaft, :1 follower arm articulately attached to said base providing reciprocating movement to a push rod according to the configurations of said cam, a ratchet gear attached to said retaining member, a pawl engageable with said gear, said push rod attached to said pawl for movement to rotate said gear in one direction when said oscillator arm and said retaining member are in non-engaged po sition, a cover for said ratchet gear adjustable with respect to said pawl movement to govern the amount of i of a g n m ns fo r t t ng sa d cr nk S t.

pluck 3. [Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said bow retaining member includes a cylindrical mandrel attached .to said gear, ball detent spaces adjacent the upper end of said mandrel, an outer housing telescopic about said mandrel with a release space at its upper end, said housing spring biased upward with respect to said ball detent spaces, a bow retaining pin held by said ball detents until released by movement of said space to a position opposite said ball detents.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said bow retaining pin includes a central shank terminating at one end with a pointed head, a recessed portion on said shank adjacentthe other end for receiving said ball detents and a flanged stop portion therebetween.

5. Apparatus for making bows comprising a ribbon oscillator arm articulately attached at one end to a base, a rotatable bow retaining member extending vertically from said base aligned for engagement with the other end of said oscillator arm during one phase of oscillation, a ribbon spindle attached to said base contiguous with said oscillator arm, a unidirectional ribbon clamp and guide on said oscillator arm, said guide adapted to direct said ribbon in an angular position between said oscillator arm and said retaining member, a crank shaft 6 rotatably attached to said base, a connecting arm between said shaft and said oscillator arm, a cardioid cam attached to said shaft, a follower arm articulately at tached to said base providing intermittent reciprocating movement to a push rod according to the configuration of said cam, a ratchet gear attached to said retaining member, a pawl engageable with said gear, said pawl attached to said push rod for movement to rotate said gear in one direction when said oscillator arm is moving away from said engagement with said retaining member, a cover for said ratchet gear teeth adjustable with respect to said pawl movement to govern the amount of turn of said retaining member, and means for rotating said crank shaft.

6. A pin for making and retaining bows comprising a central shank terminating at one end with a pointed head, with a flange and holding extension at the other end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

